Every February there is a sort of buzz that goes on through New York City's fashion industry - Spring Fashion Week.

I've been shooting Fashion Week for over 10 years now, so I guess you could considered me one the true veterans of the pit.

The tv show "women on top" features an episode on me showing the struggles and rewards of creating a career in fashion and being invited by the fashion elite to photographer their collections every season.

Full Episode:

Shooting the big runway shows in new york city is exciting. It can be incredible when you have great access, know the inside scoop on the psychology of the photographer's pit, and have mastered your craft. Without this knowledge, you most likely will be involved in a lot of fighting with other photographers, getting a bad position, and total chaos.

PRE-FASHION WEEK PREP DAY- Wednesday, February 9, 2011

I arrived at lincoln center to pick up my credential… there was a long line and it was very cold outside. Luckily, the amazing Michael who works for IMG, saw me in line, and went to retrieve my badge so i wouldn’t have to wait. After picking up my credential at lincoln center I headed over to fotocare’s rental department to pick out the equipment needed for the week. Fred, manager of Foto Care’s rental department had everything all ready for me. Fred is awesome! This fashion week I was expected to shoot both stills and video so I decided upon getting the Canon 5D Mark 11. I was really hoping to shoot backstage only this season and use the Hasseblad H4D with the 120 macro lens for amazing beauty shots, but a magazine last minute hired me to shoot 71 runway shows…. (that’s insane, by the way)… so it looks like the hasselblad backstage will have to wait until next season.

The gear I chose to shoot the shows: Canon 5d Mark 11, a 70-200mm IS 2.8 lens for shooting runway, and a 16-35mm 2.8 for shooting wide angle scene shots and for the presentation shows.

DAY 1 - Thursday, February 10, 2011

Woke up about 6am… and I’m not a morning person at all. So for me it is quite hard to be truly alive before 10am, but luckily this season I had italian photographer Stefano Ortega, aka, greeting me in the morning with “Buongiorno!” and a coffee. Such a nice way to start the day. We arrived for the first day of the shows at about 8am, at the tents. SR Hayes, my shooting partner, had arrived the night before to mark my spot. Life Saver!! Photographers “mark their spot” by putting tape down in the riser and writing their affiliation on the tape. We mark about a 12×12 inch spot. This season I was shooting for AP, ZUMA Press and Vivrant Magazine.

My first show of the day was BCBG. Here is a shot from the BCBG show.

Jodi is a photographer and film director based out of New York City. The television show “Women on Top” did a full episode on her as a top female runway and fashion photographer in a male dominated field. Her photography has been published worldwide in magazines such as American Vogue, Time, Vanity Fair, Newsweek and People. She shoots both video and still photography – developing imagery and concepts for advertising campaigns, look-books and catalogs. Her clients include fashion houses, fashion retailers, cosmetic companies and ad agencies. Jodi also contributes fashion images and editorials to magazines and is a contracted photographer for AP (Associated Press).